Mariah the mouse! That expression is interesting; it's a much smaller smile than I'm used to seeing on her. Generally, she's been shown as a rather peppy and sunshine-y character, with wide grins and lots of energy. She seems a bit calmer here.

Aw, now we don't get to find out what's going on with Ronnie's dad for a while longer. xP

Anyway, I just love the expressions on this page, especially Vikki's guilty grin in panel three. Although I do wonder, is there any reason Vikki doesn't want to ask her roommates directly for clarification? That seems like the more efficient option. Vikki mentioned before that her roommates aren't that great about communicating with her when they're offended, but I don't think they'd refuse to answer if asked about what something means. Hm... Maybe Vikki doesn't want them to know she's not Mormon for some reason (like maybe something to do with why she's rooming with them in the first place), or else those three aren't very good or experienced with explaining their slang to folks who've grown up outside their culture. Or maybe their overall demeanor gets a bit overwhelming, so Vikki just feels uncomfortable asking, I dunno.

PLEASE tell me Ronnie is going to slap Vikki. Honestly, something so vapid and inconsequential that interrupts something MUCH more important deserves some kind of retaliation.

It's certainly a trivial matter compared to, say, anything that would require a trip to the E.R. or to an opportunity to bond with a beloved but rarely seen family member, but I don't think Vikki's actions deserve any sort of retaliation. Firstly, Vikki didn't mean to scare Ronnie. She shot off that text without realizing how it could be misconstrued until it was too late. Secondly, I suspect Vikki didn't know Ronnie was out to brunch with her dad, and I wonder if she would've avoided interrupting if she knew. I seriously doubt she wanted to yank Ronnie away from her father. Either way, Vikki had no malicious intent. At most, some chiding might be in order, and Ronnie's sharp tongue more than has that covered.

Even disregarding that, retaliation for the sake of retaliation doesn't accomplish much; it just causes additional pain and distress. And cycles of retaliation can get very, very ugly. Ronnie's probably best off just letting Vikki know she needs to communicate more clearly (already done), dealing with this matter quickly (since she's there already anyway), and getting back to her dad as soon as possible, if possible.

Anyway, I'm curious to see what, precisely, needs to be translated. Is there an M.I.H. (Modest is Hottest) abbreviation in her roommates' slang? I know, I know, not the most creative guess on my part.

Ronnie isn't holding her nose shut, she is pinching the bridge if it. The action is a homeopathic remedy for stress induced headaches. It has also become something of a reflex reaction indicating that something is causing you stress much like a facepalm is a reflex reaction indicating that an observed action was not well thought out